Health and Safety

Guidelines

Aikido Yuishinkai Australia has comprehensive official guidelines. Students are welcome to study the guidelines and a copy is available from the Head Dojo Instructor.

Inherent Risk

Experienced instructors provide guidance and supervision over all activities. No activity is performed without such supervision by an accredited instructor. Additionally, sound and comprehensive guidelines for instructors are provided.

Students are required by the Student Code of Conduct to declare injuries or health issues and also not to undertake any activity they feel uncomfortable attempting.

However, Aikido is a martial art, with considerable physical interaction with other people in energetic and dynamic movement. As such there is inherent risk of injury. Whilst experience shows that the occurrence of injuries is infrequent, they nevertheless occur.

The student explicitly assumes the inherent risk of injury by signing the indemnity provided and by involvement in training activity.

Mat Safety

The mat can be a bustling, dynamic place during class. Students are required to:

Pay attention to where other students are and what they are doing;

Comply with the injury procedure described below;

Make sure their training partner is informed of any injury that needs to be taken into consideration;

Ensure they remain adequately hydrated; students are free to bow on and off the mat for access to water and to toilets;

Remove all jewellery and accessories;

Refrain from participation in any activity they don’t wish to undertake; this is a delicate balancing act as the student must explore and enlarge their boundaries, however there is no rush and the decision lies with the student;

Refrain from all argument and dispute whilst training;

Show respect and tolerance to all;

Be completely free of the influence of drugs and alcohol;

Observe exemplary cleanliness and hygiene in person and clothing.

The Student Code of Conduct and Official Guidelines contain further details and must be read and signed by a student on commencement of training. Click here to view the Student Code of Conduct.

Injury and First Aid

The dojo will have a first aid kit and will, wherever possible, have qualified first aiders on hand.

The dojo will maintain an injury register and emergency contact details for students.

Shortly after commencement new students will be familiarised with the first aid kit and the blood injury procedure.

The following additional guidelines are recommended by Aikido Yuishinkai Australia to further reduce the low risk of HIV and Hepatitis transmission during training:

Be responsible: maintain strict personal hygiene.

Fingernails and toenails should be smooth and short.

Don’t share cups.

Use paper towels for drying after using the toilet and dispose of them in the bin.

If a bleeding wound occurs during training, leave the mat and wash the wound with soap and water, apply antiseptic cream and a secure bandage. Keep the wound covered until you receive medical advice if necessary.

Similarly clean and cover any existing lesion or open wound before training.

If you notice that someone else has an open cut or sore, remind them of their obligation prior to training with that person.

Clean any spill of blood on the floor covering immediately. Disinfectant is available.

If you are assisting someone with a bleeding injury, wear surgical gloves, available in the first aid kit. Wash your hands with soap and water after you remove the gloves.

All used gloves, bloody dressings, rags and so on must be place in a leakproof plastic bag and disposed of carefully.

If anyone’s blood gets on your skin, leave the mat immediately and wash the blood off thoroughly with soap and hot water. Alcohol handwash is available in the first aid kit.

The Australian Sport Medicine Federation recommends vaccination against Hepatitis B.

Child Protection Strategy

Display – this Strategy is to be placed in a location within the Dojo visible to all members and visitors.

Aikido Yuishinkai Canberra is committed to the safety, protection and wellbeing of children during training in Aikido.

The purpose of the Strategy is to recognise, assess, and take steps to mitigate the risks to children during Aikido training.

This Strategy is additional to the precautions and risk management inherent in the Code of Conduct.

Student Register – A register of students will be maintained which will include the following details for each student:

Emergency contact name and phone number(s) for parents/guardians; plus one other nominated adult emergency contact;

Any physical or other restrictions, health issues or impediments;

Any custody or family issues that the parent wishes to be taken into account;

Details of persons authorised to collect children from the Dojo.

Code of Conduct – In addition to the provisions of the Student Code of Conduct the following items are to be adhered to with respect to children training in Aikido:

The Student Code of Conduct and the Indemnity must be signed by a parent or guardian before the child can commence training.

Students and parents/guardians are required to abide by the terms and conditions of the Student Code of Conduct and the Indemnity as a condition for the child training.

Any health, custody or other issues which may affect the safety, protection and wellbeing of the child are to be communicated to the Instructor(s) upon commencing training and on an ongoing basis. The Instructor concerned must record the information and ensure it is passed to the other Instructors and the Head Dojo Instructor.

All children are to be delivered to the dojo by an adult or to be in possession of a note authorising the child to attend on that date by themselves. In the latter case the note must detail the arrangements for the child to return home after training.

Children are not to leave the dojo unless in the company of a parent, guardian, or authorised person, or without a written note from a parent or guardian permitting the child to return home themselves. Failing these options the child is to remain in the Instructor’s care. The Instructor will contact the parent/guardian accordingly and retain care of the child until suitable arrangements ensue.

Parents will advise the instructor if their child is to leave the class early, so the Instructor can account for the location of all children under their supervision.

All Instructors will be subject to the successful result of a check by the Australian Federal Police.

A sensible Student:Instructor ratio will be maintained. Where there are concerns the ratio does not allow for safe supervision the Instructor will raise the issue with the Head Dojo Instructor, who will make arrangements for additional instructors or class options.

Parents, guardians or other adults are not permitted to assist their children in any way during the class unless at the Instructor’s request, nor to come onto the mat or to partake in the class in any way. Dojo policy is for parents and guardians to deliver their child then to leave and return to pick them up at the end of the class.

Any physical contact with children is to be:

Appropriate to the situation;

In accordance with the safety precautions appropriate to the activity;

Necessary and appropriate for the activity and the child’s skill development within it.

It is inherent in martial arts training that calculated and appropriate risk is required to perform the art. This activity is part of the skill and personal growth that the art is performed to learn and is a required part of the curriculum. These activities will be performed in a controlled, supervised environment. Activities will be appropriate to the age, size, skill, experience and health and other issues of the child. Aikido Yuishinkai Canberra recognises that Instructors will need to provide support, encouragement and supervision additional to that that adult students require.

Part of the Aikido curriculum is the learning of skills in the traditional weapons of sword, staff and knife. These teach the basic principles of Aikido and are significant vehicles for the concepts of skills for daily life that Aikido disseminates. Children will not undertake weapons training unless:

They have are at least Green belt in grade;

They are a suitable age;

They have demonstrated suitable maturity and self-control;

They have had the safety precautions explained and demonstrated to them by an instructor;

They are under the continual supervision of an Instructor with the appropriate skill and experience.

Injuries are to be recorded in the Injury Register and reported in accordance with the Aikido Yuishinkai insurance policy procedures and to the Head Dojo Instructor.

Instructors are to have a current first aid qualification where possible, and at least one Instructor must have such a qualification.

Reporting Inappropriate Behaviour – Concerns regarding the behaviour of any persons towards children in the dojo, or regarding any breaches of this Strategy are to be immediately brought to the attention of the Instructor.

The Instructor is then required to take immediate steps to resolve the issue and to advise the Head Dojo Instructor. The Head Dojo Instructor will review the incident with the Instructor, and if necessary with the reporting person. Where possible matters will be addressed internally by the Head Dojo Instructor first, but may be reported to the Police as appropriate.

Parents or guardians can approach the Head Dojo Instructor directly, but must inform the Instructor of any incident or behaviour of concern at the time it is observed.